Roma 1:21-27

1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts ¹  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed ²  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ³  or birds or four-footed animals ⁴  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ⁵  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ⁶  their bodies among themselves. ⁷  1:25 They ⁸  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ⁹  and worshiped and served the creation ¹⁰  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, ¹¹  1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women ¹²  and were inflamed in their passions ¹³  for one another. Men ¹⁴  committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

[1:21]  ¹ tn Grk “heart.”

[1:22]  ² tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

[1:23]  ³ tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).

[1:23]  ⁴ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  ⁵ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ⁶ tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

[1:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  ⁸ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:25]  ⁹ tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:26]  ¹¹ tn Grk “for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature.” The term χρῆσις (crhsi") has the force of “sexual relations” here (L&N 23.65).

[1:27]  ¹² tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”

[1:27]  ¹³ tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).

[1:27]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “another, men committing…and receiving,” continuing the description of their deeds. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.